''Atpūta'' () was a weekly illustrated magazine which was published in Latvia between 1911 and 1912 and then from 1924 and 1940. It was the most read popular magazine in the 1920s and in the 1930s. The magazine was one of the publications which presented the applied arts, particularly women's handicrafts, as well as the wearing of national costume as instances of the Latvian national identity.

History and profile

''Atpūta'' was first launched on 1 May 1911 as an illustrated magazine for literature and science, with A serving as chief editor. However, in early 1912 he quit together with issue Haims Blankenšteins, and the magazine folded in the end of 1912. ''Atpūta'' was revived by

Emīlija Benjamiņa Emīlija Benjamiņa (sometimes transcribed Emilija Benjamina) (10 September 1881 – 27 September 1941) was a Latvian businesswoman. Acknowledged as the "Press Queen" in her home country, she became one of the wealthiest women in Europe at the t ...

and her husband Antons Benjamiņš in 1924. They also owned publishing company of the magazine, Benjamiņš Publishing, which also produced the newspaper entitled '' Jaunākās Ziņas''. ''Atpūta'' came out weekly. The magazine was modeled on the illustrated Latvian magazine '' Ilustrēts Žurnāls'' and other illustrated European magazines. ''Atpūta'' managed to develop its own style over time and covered articles on popular science, fashion, and humor. It also contained puzzles for children and illustrated news reports about the current events. One of the topics covered in the magazine was information-related to the households such as the use of plants as

natural dye Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources—roots, berry, berries, Bark (botany), bark, leaf, leaves, and wood—and other biological sourc ...

s. The magazine reported news about the construction of the new Latvian schools in 1933. The Latvian painter Reinholds Kasparsons was the illustrator of ''Atpūta''. Margarita Kovaļevska, a Latvian artist, also produced drawings for the magazine. Jūlijs Lācis was the editor-in-chief of the magazine between 1937 and 1940. ''Atpūta'' became one of the best-selling publications with a circulation of 70,600 copies over time. The magazine folded in 1940 after the arrest of its publishers by the occupying

Soviet forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atputa 1924 establishments in Latvia 1940 disestablishments in Latvia Defunct magazines published in Latvia Latvian-language magazines Magazines established in 1924 Magazines disestablished in 1940 Weekly magazines